Volcanic ash disrupts air freight to and from Europe

As has been widely reported in major media sources worldwide, the eruption of a volcano in Iceland has created a huge cloud of
volcanic ash, and that cloud has been blown east and south to cover much of
Europe. Since volcanic ash can cause failure of jet engines, many European
countries have partially or completely closed their airspace. This has, of
course, had an impact on the movement of freight.

The best summary we have seen of the current situation comes from forwarder and logistics services provider Expeditors International, which said
in a recent newsflash:

“These cancellations are currently delaying airfreight shipments that have routings to, from or through Europe. Further, many airlines
have placed an embargo on the acceptance of additional cargo until such time
that their aircraft begin flying again on these routes. At the current time it
is unclear as to whether the volcano has stopped erupting and emitting ash. As a
result, the length of time this cloud of ash will continue to affect the
airspace of Europe and in which directions the upper-level winds will take it
is uncertain. Airlines will be evaluating and updating their flight schedules
as the situation progresses.”